


BITE TO EAT

by girlinred



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: College AU, F/F, Halloween, Hickeys, Neck Bites, One-Sided Catra/Scorpia (She-Ra), Vampire AU, Vampires, a bit nsfw but nothing major, adora is scary when her friends get hurt, catradora, heheheheh, sorry scorpia ily baby, this is so shitty just take it, uh adora is kinda ooc but not really.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2020-02-23
Packaged: 2020-12-14 22:43:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21023444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlinred/pseuds/girlinred
Summary: It's been a month since Catra's had a good meal. Luckily for her, she finds out her college is hosting a Halloween party. At said party, she finds a blonde who would be perfect for dinner. Unluckily for her, things don't quite go as planned.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> wrote this based on some art i saw on twitter where catra and adora were vampires but i cant find the source so just . take this!!!! lol this is kinda shitty but dw abt it

Catra felt her stomach growl angrily. She scowled to herself and curled her hand into a fist. She couldn’t focus on her professor’s lecture when the last time she had eaten was a month ago. She had lured an annoying, prissy girl with a shrill voice into an alley, and she’d almost finished her off when her friends heard her screams and came running. She couldn’t believe her shitty luck. It turned out the girl she had almost killed was the daughter of the mayor of the town, and PSA’s about going out at night were immediately put out. She hadn’t had a good meal since, and she was going to lose it if she had to keep eating squirrels. They tasted like shit and didn’t have enough for her to stay full. She had considered taking stray cats and dogs, but it seemed people were holding their pets close at night as well. She gritted her teeth.

“Hey, you okay, Catra?”

Catra’s thoughts broke when her acquaintance Scorpia spoke to her. She shrugged. 

“I’m fine. It’s whatever.” She was clearly not in a good mood, and Scorpia patted her on the back. Catra recoiled from her touch.

“Would you quit it? I don’t want to be coddled. I’m fine.” She snapped.

“Do you ladies have something to share with the rest of the class?” Their professor’s voice cut in. Catra felt her face redden from embarrassment. 

“No, ma’am.” Catra said quickly. 

“I would kindly thank you not to interrupt me, then. Need I remind you of your grades, Catra?”

Catra glared at her professor for bringing it up, and loathed the way the other students looked at her. She saw a few kids whispering to each other while they stared at her. 

“No,” She seethed. “You don’t have to remind me.”

The professor seemed satisfied with humiliating her, and turned back to the chalkboard. _ Bitch_. Catra hated this class, and professor Weaver didn’t do anything to make it easier for her. She stewed in her anger until the class finally ended. Scorpia scooted closer to Catra and tried to talk to her. 

“Hey, I’m sorry about earlier. I was only trying to help.”

“I don’t care,” Catra said dismissively. “I just want to go to my next class.”

Scorpia looked downtrodden for a moment. 

“I mean, if you’re sure. I just- You know, if you wanna talk, I’m here for you,” Scorpia stammered. “Is it about that attack that happened to Glimmer? It’s pretty scary stuff, but if you’re scared, I can help you! You know, I’ve been taking self-defense classes-”

“I’m. Fine.” Catra cut her off coldly, and grabbed her bag to go to her next class. She was in no mood to have Scorpia treat her with kid gloves. Really, she was doing a service for Scorpia by leaving because if she had to stick around her, she had no doubt that she’d blow up at her. 

After the day was over, Catra returned to her dorm and laid on her bed. She stared at the ceiling, thinking about nothing but how delicious Glimmer had been. She was really fucking annoying, and she had always wanted to shut her goody-two-shoes mouth up, but damn if she didn’t taste like a gourmet meal. Her abdomen growled at the thought. Catra buried her face in her pillow and screamed. She couldn’t take much more of this. 

Catra felt a piece of paper settle on her. What?

She looked up to see Scorpia stand over her, grinning. 

“Catra, I know what’ll cheer you up! Read the flyer!” She smiled excitedly. 

Catra groaned, and picked up the flyer. 

“A Halloween party?” 

“Yep!” Scorpia chirped. “There’s going to be one in the cafeteria a week from now! There’s going to be dancing, music, food, and I’ve heard a bunch of kids from Brightmoon Academy are gonna be there! They’re a bit too scared to have a dance at their college because Glimmer was attacked super close to there, so they’ve decided to join us! Isn’t it exciting?”

Catra found herself sitting up, intently focused on what Scorpia had just said. A bunch of people her age getting plastered, kids who didn’t know the school’s layout, kids who would make for _ easy _targets. She could maybe even get three or four kids if she was lucky enough. Well, she might’ve just been hungry enough to do it, regardless of luck. She was grinning ear to ear. 

“Y’know what, Scorpia? I think this party is a great idea. We can go together, how does that sound?”

Scorpia was slightly taken aback by Catra’s sudden shift in mood, but nodded eagerly. Catra didn’t miss the blush on her face as she scratched the back of her neck. 

“O-of course! I- uh, should we have matching costumes? I think it’d be cute but if you don’t want to then of course you don’t have to and maybe we could get some pictures together and oh my gosh this is so exciting...” 

Catra tuned out what Scorpia was talking about. Finally, she’d caught a break. 

|||

When the night for the party finally arrived, Catra could hardly contain herself. She’d decided to wear a cat costume. She wore a keyhole sweater with sleeves went down to her wrists, but the skirt that came with it was snug around her mid thigh. Her cat ears completed the look. The costume accentuated her curves and though the sweater was revealing, she didn’t mind because she was going to be seducing her meals tonight. She couldn’t afford to be sloppy. 

Scorpia was wearing a pirate costume, and Catra had to admit- she looked good in an eye patch. Scorpia cooed at the sight of her outfit. 

“Ohhh you look so cute! Can I get a picture with you?” Catra shrugged noncommittally in response, and Scorpia quickly wrapped her in a hug as she took a selfie.

“We look great! Okay, do you have everything?”

“I’m ready. C’mon, let’s just go.” 

Scorpia nodded and finally the two were out the door. 

She felt her senses almost overwhelm her as soon as she set foot inside the cafeteria. Loud music blared from the speakers, a few strobe lights were placed around the cafeteria, and judging by the way people were dancing, it was clear that no one at this party would be sober. _ Perfect_. 

“Hey Scorpia, get me a drink, okay?”

“Of course!” Scorpia rushed over to the table with a long line of people snaked around it. Catra slinked away. That got Scorpia off her tail for now. Now, to find a victim. 

She surveyed the people at the party and felt almost intoxicated from how many people were there. So many options, so much to choose from! She noticed a short, wimpy looking blonde kid. She remembered his name was Kyle, and she could easily overpower him when the two were alone together. But standing next to him in a lizard costume was a tall, buff guy. They seemed close and she knew that lizard guy wouldn’t let Kyle go off with her alone. 

She set her sights on another target, a dopey looking party-goer with a goofy mustache. Dressed like a pirate and _ extremely _ drunk, he was absolutely helpless. Great. It wouldn’t be long before he was blackout drunk, and she could slip in, claim to be a friend, and take him. But just as she was about to start stalking him, a girl with brown skin and teal hair dressed as a mermaid helped steady him and took him over to one of the tables to sit down. Shit. He wasn’t alone. 

After failing to find a good person to pick up, Catra frustratedly resigned against a wall. Everyone seemed to have someone with them at all times. Did everyone pick out a buddy or something? What a dorky system. But it was effective. She was having no luck finding a good bite to eat. She needed to find someone and fast. Catra busied herself by getting a cup and filling it with vodka. It wasn’t really her style, but it was good to blend in. She spotted a cute blonde by herself. She had her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and was wearing an angel costume. Catra’s sense of smell immediately picked her out. 

Oh. 

_ Oh_. 

She immediately stalked toward her, her breath catching in her throat. Fuck. She needed her. She needed to sink her teeth into her as soon as possible. Catra forced herself to slow down and look natural. She approached the blonde as nonchalantly as possible. 

“Hey,” She purred to the girl. The girl turned to her, taken aback by her sudden appearance. 

“Oh, hi. I’m sorry, but have you seen a guy dressed as Robin hood? I’m looking for my friend,” the blonde said meekly. 

“Aw, I’m sorry to say I haven’t. But you don’t mind if I keep you company until he shows up, do you?” 

The blonde gave her a small smile.

“Sure. My name is Sarah, by the way.” 

Catra grinned when she told her her name. Knowing her name made it easier for Catra to control her. Her voice would lull her into a false sense of security and every time Catra said her name, Sarah would fall further under her spell. 

Sarah held out her hand for Catra to shake, and Catra brought the hand to her lips. Sarah immediately blushed. 

“Nice to meet you, Sarah. May I just say you look… radiant tonight?”

Sarah let out a small snort, raising an eyebrow.

“Looks like _ somebody’s _ old-fashioned. Are you going to hold doors open for me, too?” She mocked a thinking face while rubbing her chin. “Well, I wouldn’t really mind if you paid the bill.”

Catra laughed at her teasing. 

“Well, I just don’t like to think chivalry is dead. Where are my manners, Sarah? Would you care for a tour of the estate?” Her voice was laced with sarcasm, and she bowed deeply. Sarah guffawed at the over-the-top gesture. 

“Ohmygod, shut up! You’re so goofy,” She chuckled. Catra grinned. She was winning her over. 

“Oh, please. I would be remiss if we didn’t let the lady wander around at her leisure,” She drawled. She drew herself closer to Sarah, until they were so close she could smell Sarah’s lip balm. Strawberries. 

“And if the lady would like, she could come for a full, _ thorough inspection _ of the… staff,” Her voice was husky now, and Sarah seemed to be drawn to her. “How does that sound, _ Sarah _ ?”

Sarah nodded absent-mindedly, and Catra grinned. Within seconds, the two were stumbling out of the room and down the empty hallways of the campus building.

|||

Catra's pace hurried, finding herself stumbling with the gorgeous blonde she had found in tow. She was so fucking hungry, she hadn't eaten in so long. It took all her self control not to rip into the other woman's neck once they had found a secluded corridor on the second floor. Her mouth was watering, oh _ fuck _ , Sarah had such a lovely scent. Catra groaned to herself, letting out a huff of annoyance. She had to eat, and fast. She stopped in her tracks, and shoved Sarah against the wall, latching her lips onto her neck. The other woman squealed, and stopped Catra for a moment. 

“Wait,” the blonde panted. “Can I at least know your name?”

Catra found the blonde’s naivety endearing, though her stomach growled loudly. How cute, she had no idea what was about to happen to her.

“Sure, Sarah,” She said. “It’s Catra.”

“Catra,” the woman said. She almost sounded whimsical. Catra felt a tug at her heart when she said her name. “This is gonna sound dumb but is that why you’re dressed as a cat?”

“Oh, shut it,” Catra snorted playfully.

“Just asking,” Sarah said good-naturedly. “It’s a pretty name.”

“Thanks, Sarah,” Catra purred. “You’re ready, right?”

“Yes,” Sarah said breathlessly. “Please, Catra.”

She began lapping at Sarah’s neck with her tongue, fangs grazing the skin. Being so close to her almost sent her into a frenzy. It didn’t help that Sarah was squirming under her touch, making adorable little noises. _ God _ , she was going to be wonderful. 

“Sarah,” Catra whispered into her ear. “Stay still.” 

Catra grinned to herself when she did. 

“Catra,” Sarah breathed out. “Oh, Catra…”

Catra paused for a moment, then quickly regained herself. She drew her lips onto Sarah’s neck once more. She nipped at her neck, trying not to rip into her throat immediately. The best part of the chase was when the prey didn’t know it was being hunted. The moment lust turned into fear was what she relished most. Having this control was enough to stave off her hunger for just a few more moments. She moaned against the blonde’s throat. Finally, she bit down.

Catra stifled her surprise when no blood gushed out. She heard Sarah’s yip of pain. She saw a clear mark where her teeth had made contact. What? Maybe she hadn’t bitten hard enough. It had been a while since she had last eaten, so maybe she was a bit rusty. Catra quickly began kissing and licking the spot, trying to disguise what she did as rough foreplay. 

“Ah, Catra… That hurt,” Sarah whined. “Be more gentle, Catra.”

Catra pulled back for a moment- Wait, why was she pulling back? She was _ starving_. Catra found it hard for her to put her lips back on Sarah’s neck. Why wasn’t she able to do it? Why was she holding back? Catra felt a tug in her heart that made her inclined to stop. She groaned in frustration. 

“Sarah. Will you let me kiss your neck?” Catra gritted her teeth. She hated having to ask for permission, but what else could she do? She needed to regain control of the situation, and fast. If she asked, then maybe Sarah would submit and she could finally eat.

“No, Catra. But you will let me go.”

That startled her, but not as much as when her body obeyed, and Sarah swiftly pinned Catra against the wall. What the hell was _ happening _ ? 

“Stay still, Catra.”

Catra froze, and realized the danger she was in. 

“Stop it, Sarah. Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. Stop it right no-”

She stopped herself short when Sarah’s face was mere centimeters from hers. She wasn’t obeying anything she said, and the loss of control over the situation was making her panic.

“My name isn’t Sarah.” 

Catra’s heart would be beating out of her chest if she weren’t undead. Sarah’s bright blue eyes bore into hers, and she felt her mouth become dry. 

When she caught a glimpse of Sarah’s fangs, everything clicked.

“You’re not the only one who can bite.”

The blonde was no longer smiling. She fixed Catra with a hard, piercing glare. Catra felt her knees weaken. 

“Consider this a warning, Catra. You don’t come near me or my friends like this. Feed off of rabbits, squirrels, birds, whatever you can find in this town. But the moment you lay a finger on me or one of _ my friends _ ever again, I won’t hesitate to return the favor. Do I make myself _ clear _ ?”

Catra gulped. 

“Y-yes,” She squeaked. “Pl-please let me go.”

The blonde’s grip on her tightened painfully. 

“If you touch _ anyone _ else, I’ll rip your throat out.”

The woman finally let go of Catra, and she slumped to the ground out of fear and exhaustion. The blonde left her confused, terrified, and weak. 

_ What the hell just happened? _

|||

“Adora!” Bow was relieved at the sight of her. “Where were you for so long?”

“Ah, just in the bathroom! Did I worry you?” 

“A little, but I’m glad to see you’re okay,” He said. “Glimmer was sad she couldn’t make it tonight. Do you wanna get some candy after this? I think she’d appreciate it.”

“Of course! That sounds like a great idea,” Adora chirped. “I’m just glad she’s doing better. This is sure to lift her spirits, too.”

“Yeah. We should be careful tonight, though. I’m not one to be superstitious but after what happened to Glimmer...”

Adora hummed, and almost smiled. 

“I think we’ll be fine.”

Bow looked a little confused. 

“Why do you think so?”

Adora shrugged, smiled, and rubbed the side of her neck. 

“Let’s just call it a hunch.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay theres. more of this now. idk how long its gonna be but i have a general outline of what i wanna do. also, major MAJOR shoutout to @MalachiWalker on here for writing a fucking amazing piece based off of what i wrote!! its based on the first chap of this vamp AU so yall go give them some love and read their story or Perish by my hand. i got a lot of inspiration from them so go check them out!!!
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/21127382
> 
> also if youre inch rested follow me on twitter/insta @cherrynothings i post art and garbage catradora shitposts :-) ok enough with the plugs here ya go, lesbians

Catra slurped messily at the neck of the bird she’d caught. It was a finch; barely a snack and it tasted like mildew, but she didn’t care. Blood was blood. She needed food, and luckily for her, the bird she’d seen outside her window was no match for her speed. She was hunched over the bathroom sink, drinking greedily. She hadn’t seen that many birds or squirrels lately, which was making her lose it. It was late November now, and so many of the animals were either migrating or getting ready to hibernate. The lack of food was driving her mad.  


She hated to admit it but more than once in these past few weeks she’d found herself standing over Scorpia’s bed, fangs inches away from her neck, until she was barely able to pull herself away. She was losing control and she was scared of herself. When she saw her reflection in the mirror, she saw a half-crazed, desperate animal. She was starving herself to death, but what could she do? She needed to feed, to have an _ actual _ meal, or she’d go into a frenzy and hurt someone.  


She crumpled the bird’s body in her fist out of anger. The sound of its bones crunching was small, innocuous. Catra breathed heavily, trying to wrangle in her rage, but found it extremely difficult to do so. The blonde’s face flashed in her mind. It was all _ her _fault. She was the one to blame for everything.   


Her thoughts snapped to the blonde she had met at the Halloween party three weeks ago. Bitch. Fucking bitch. She was terrified of the woman finding her again, but fuck, what could she do? She needed to eat or she would die. Didn’t “Sarah” know that? Maybe if she just left town, started looking for people on the road, she could have a good chance at a meal. What harm would it do if she just traveled out of town and took a hitchhiker? Maybe she could even get a group of travelers-  


No. She was certain that the woman would find out and she had no doubt the blonde would fulfill the promise she had made. Catra let the bird fall into the sink as her hands gripped either side of the sink’s edges. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, _ fuck. _ She’d either have her throat ripped out or starve herself to death. What had she done wrong? If she took victims that weren’t the woman’s friend, would she care?  


_ “If you touch _ ** _anyone _ ** else, I’ll rip your throat out.”  


Shhhit. No, she was clear with Catra on what she could and couldn’t do. Unfortunately for her, there weren’t any farms or places with livestock nearby either. The only wildlife that existed in the area were squirrels, rabbits, birds and on the very rare occasion, deer. God fucking damn it. What could she do? What could she do?!   


Her thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door.   


“Hey, wildcat!” Scorpia’s voice cut through the door. Catra bristled at the pet name for her. She found it kind of endearing, she admitted, but now was not a good time. “I was just wondering if you were doing okay in there? You’ve been in there a while.”  


Damn it. Time to act normal.   


“I’m fine,” Catra dismissed, quickly taking the bird’s limp form and stuffing it in the wastebasket. She took a bit of toilet paper and stuffed it into the basket as well, hiding the bird. Then she noticed the bird’s blood began to seep through the toilet paper. Ah, shit. “Just having some cramps. I’ll- uh- be out in a sec.” At least Scorpia wouldn’t question the bloody toilet paper.   


“Oh, really? Me too! I think we’re syncing up! Y’know, I just got some chocolate, and heating pads if you want. If you don’t have any homework we could have a girls night. Wanna watch _The Princess Bride_? I can invite professor Entrapta!”  


Catra softened at Scorpia’s proposal. She actually didn’t mind spending time with Scorpia lately, and maybe a girls night could take her mind off of things. She wouldn’t admit it to Scorpia, but she did enjoy the cheesy movies she watched with her. However, she couldn’t stand professor Entrapta. Despite being in her thirties, she acted like a kid. She’d often show get sidetracked in lectures and ramble on about things that had nothing to do with what she was teaching them. Scorpia had to have the patience of a saint because Entrapta was unbearably annoying. And right now, she didn’t need annoying.   


“No, it can just be us. I’ll be out in a sec, lemme just get cleaned up first.” She said. She heard Scorpia move away from the door, and finally began to clean the blood from her face and hands.   


She had to scrub her fingernails hard to get the blood out of them. She couldn’t help it; she was a messy eater. Once she was finally cleaned up, she left the bathroom and saw Scorpia snuggled up in a blanket on the couch. Catra let out a small sigh. She... actually looked pretty cute. Scorpia had laid out some snacks laid out on the table right in front of the couch. She had _ The Princess Bride _ pulled up on her laptop, and eagerly motioned for Catra to sit next to her. When she did, Scorpia pulled her into the blanket, smothering her with her scent. Catra’s breath caught in her throat. She smelled so good-   


_ No, no_. Catra told herself. You can’t do this. Not now. Calm down.  


She tried to focus on the movie, but found she couldn’t concentrate when she was so close to Scorpia. She was so close to her, her neck was right there, and she could smell the blood between her thighs. Oh no. This was a decidedly terrible idea. Scorpia seemed to notice Catra’s intense stare, and paused the movie.   


“Hey, what’s wrong?” She sounded worried but Catra could care less. Especially not when she was so close to her neck, and the shorts she wore gave her an easy view of her thighs and-  


_ FUCK_.   


Catra let out a guttural groan and she rushed to her feet, throwing the blanket off of herself. Scorpia was taken aback by her abrupt change in mood.   


“Catra, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Her sweet, gentle doe eyes made Catra feel feral, oh God, Scorpia had no idea about the danger she was in- No. Catra couldn’t think like that, it was just going to make it harder for her to turn Scorpia away. Catra mumbled out a quick, “I need some air”, before throwing on her jacket and slamming the door of her dorm open. She could hear Scorpia faintly, but tuned her out. This was for Scorpia’s sake, not hers.   


Her breathing quickened as she practically sprinted down the corridor until she was outside. She took a deep, heavy gulp of fresh air, and found herself racing towards the woods near the campus. She needed to fucking eat. Catra was manic, in a daze as she found herself surrounded by trees, the moon above her barely illuminating her surroundings. She found herself tripping over her own feet, and her hands and knees were littered with cuts but she could care less. She ran deep, deep, deep into the forest until her legs gave way and she fell to the ground.   


Why was this happening to her? It wasn’t her fault that she needed to eat. She couldn’t understand why “Sarah” or whatever her name was would do this to her. She was a vampire too, she should understand better than anyone else! Yet she gave Catra no sympathy, the bitch didn’t even give her the benefit of the doubt before threatening to kill her. It was easy for her, wan't it? It must’ve been easy for that bitch to cast judgement on her.   


She felt tears pool at her eyes, and finally let herself cry. She was going to starve to death at this rate. She felt weak, weaker and lower than she had ever felt. She hadn’t felt so powerless since the night she had been turned. The memory made her heart ache, and she sunk to the ground, the cold earth a welcome departure from how hot her face was. She was useless, like he had said. She wasn’t even good enough for a meal. She shouldn’t have been alive. But she had never been one to go out without a fight. It didn’t matter now, though. The chill of the night air was getting to her. Her fingers felt numb, and trying to move them proved difficult. She realized with a queasy stomach that she had wasted the last of her energy on running in the middle of the woods. Catra didn’t have it in her to make it back.   


She wondered absentmindedly if anyone would look for her. Would anyone miss her? She thought about Scorpia, and how sweet she had been. The only person she had ever thought of as a friend. She would probably forget about Catra soon enough. It was for the best, wasn’t it? Scorpia would’ve gotten hurt if she stayed around Catra. She would find some other shmuck to be her friend, get a new crush, live her life. Oh, God, she was so cold. Her stomach ached, her fingers and ears nipped by the night air. She would have shivered, but didn’t even have that in her. A small whimper escaped her. She was going to die. Catra couldn’t hold her tears back, and frustrated screams ripped through her throat.   


Why? Why me? Why did he have to do this to me?! I didn’t ask for this!  


She kept crying, wailing, and scratching at her arms in anger. She wanted to rip her own throat out, she wanted to die, she wanted to stop feeling empty, she wanted her suffering to stop, she would fucking _ kill _ h-  


“Hello?”  


Catra was startled, and froze. Someone else was out here? Oh, no. She couldn’t let anyone else see her like this, and if they got too close she might kill them. She quickly wiped away her tears and snot with her jacket sleeve, hiccuping as she called out.   


“D-don’t come any closer! I don’t want to hurt you!”  


She heard footsteps and leaves crunching, coming closer to her. No, no, no. Catra scrambled to her feet, her trembling legs barely supporting her as she gripped the tree closest to her.   


“Wait! Are you hurt or lost?”  


The voice was closer now, and the footsteps were getting louder, closer to her. Odd, the voice sounded familiar. Before she could dwell on it any longer, Catra found herself face to face with the angel she had met at the party.   


|||  


Adora had been out hunting for the night, trying to find a deer’s den. She didn’t mind deer blood, but finding one was a huge pain in the ass. She was usually accustomed to drinking Glimmer’s blood, but seeing as Glimmer was still recovering, she’d have to find different sources. She missed Glimmer’s taste. She was sweet, with a savory aftertaste. Adora shook her head. It was no use to think about what she missed. That would just make the deer taste worse. She’d been lucky enough to have gotten a deer in the afternoon, but the numbers were dwindling. She wasn’t too concerned, though. Her metabolism always slowed down during winter, mostly as an adaption to the climate. She was a bit peckish though, and knowing where the deer in the area resided would be good to sate her appetite down the road. She moved through the trees silently, being careful not to alert any nearby animals to her presence as her mind wandered.   


An alternative that she was thankful for was the town diner’s extra rare steak. She was lucky Bow worked there, and she was able to convince him to keep the meat… dubiously cooked. She had to be very persuasive to get him to let her eat practically raw meat because Bow didn’t know about her yet. She _ was _ going to tell him before Glimmer had been attacked, but now seemed like a _ very _ bad time to let him know she was a vampire. She loved Bow, but didn’t know if he’d trust her right now. She didn’t want him to hate her and think she was the one who attacked Glimmer, so she thought it best to put that on hold until she could find a good time to tell him.   


Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard something loud crashing through the brush a few meters away, and she crouched down. After waiting for a moment, she realized it was human, judging by the quick, uneven footsteps. The person was talking to themselves. She trained her ear, and could pick up sobs and loud, sudden wails pierced the air. Whoever they were, they sounded distressed. She quickly grew concerned, and called out to the person.   


“Hello?” She called out. The reply she received was curt, and sounded panicked.   


“D-don’t come any closer! I don’t want to hurt you!”  


What? Whatever was going on unnerved her, and Adora need to help whoever was out here. She could put hunting on hold for now. She trained her ear again, and heard whoever it was scrambling to leave. She had to help them! They couldn’t be out here at night, especially when it was this cold. She quickened her pace, easily navigating through the trees whilst keep an eye out for the person.   


“Wait! Are you hurt or lost?”  


No response. Adora could tell she was close now though, as she could hear the person moving more clearly now. She was just a few meters away-  


Finally! She had found the person, who she now realized was a young woman, staggering against a nearby tree. She looked miserable, with her jacket obviously not doing much to keep her from the cold. She was thin, pale, her hair matted and her face puffy from crying. Her pupils were constricted, darting in every direction as though she were looking for an escape. Adora thought she looked familiar. The longer she stared at her face...  


Adora was dumbstruck when she realized who it was in the clearing.  


“C-Catra?” She asked, and approached the shivering woman.   


“Don’t come any closer! Don’t hurt me!” Catra cried, and she pathetically attempted to run away, but tripped over her own feet. “I’ll- I’ll kill you! I’ll tear you to p-pieces!”  


Her threats were meek at best, and Adora felt her heart pang with guilt over the state of the poor girl. She knelt down next to her, and held both of Catra’s wrists in one hand as Catra tried to swipe at her.   


“Are yo-you going to kill me now?” She spat out. Adora sighed.   


“Catra, what have you had to eat?” Adora asked calmly. Catra stopped struggling for a moment.   


“Why do you want to know?” Catra growled. “I haven’t eaten anyone. I’ve ju-just eaten shitty birds, and that’s it. Now let me go.”  


“Are you hungry?” Adora asked.   


“What do you fucking _ think _ , Sherlock?” The woman snarled. “I haven’t had a good meal in almost t-two months.”  


Adora saw tears in the corners of Catra’s eyes. Oh, no. Adora didn’t understand, though. She was so delirious even though it had only been two months since a meal? Vampires were usually accustomed to eating sparingly, at least in North America. They more or less hibernated come fall and winter, and Adora was feeling less of a need to feed lately. Unless Catra was-  


Oh shit. She needed to get Catra inside someplace warm and get her food quick. She could die out here. Adora helped Catra to her feet, letting an arm sling around her shoulder. Catra didn’t bother trying to fight anymore, but she did let out a groan as Adora picked her up.   


“Can you walk like this?”   


“I’m fine!” She snapped. Catra tried to take a step forward without Adora, but her knees buckled. Adora caught her, and sighed. She set Catra down on the ground, and pressed her ear to her chest. Adora was sad to say, she was right. No heartbeat.   


“Get off of me!” Catra weakly tried to shove her off, but Adora’s hold on her was firm.   


“Stop that. You’re in no shape to go around running in the woods like this. Why were you out here, Catra?”  


“I was following your stupid rules. I’ve only been eating small things but it’s not enough. Today I almost… I could’ve killed her,” Catra murmured the last part mostly to herself.   


Adora couldn’t suppress the gasp that made its way to her lips.  


“Who? Oh, God,” her hand flew to her mouth in horror. She was the reason Catra was so hysterical, wasn’t she? Guilt overcame Adora. In her telling Catra what to do, had she hurt more people than she meant? “I’m sorry, Catra. I’m going to help you, okay? You could die out here.”  


“I don’t want your pity,” She spat. “I don’t care anymore. It’d be easier for you if I just died anyways.”  


Adora was taken aback by what she’d just said. Even if she didn’t like Catra, she wouldn’t just let her freeze to death. That was beyond cruel.   


“What are you talking about? I’m not going to leave you here.”  


Catra looked up at her for a moment, and Adora was terrified at how dull they were now. They lacked any of the spark she’d had at the party. Her eyes had been so bright, and so were her mannerisms. She was barely a shell of what Adora knew about Catra, and although she didn’t know much, she felt responsible. She needed to find out what circumstances Catra had been turned under, but that could wait until she got some food in her. Catra closed her eyes, and Adora panicked for a moment.She was still breathing, but it was dangerously shallow.  


“Catra, you need to eat. Look at me. Catra.”  


Catra’s eyes fluttered open at her words. She groaned as Adora lifted her head, and while doing so, Adora leaned down, pressing her own neck against Catra’s lips.  


“Eat, Catra.”  


At the command, Catra’s teeth sunk into her neck. Adora let her blood flow out this time, unlike at the party. She was very lucky she was able to control that part of herself. She’d need to help Catra with this later on. But in the meantime, she was focused on how much blood she was giving Catra. The familiar feel of her lips on her neck made Adora’s face heat up. She had to admit, her moans at the party weren’t fake.   


Gah- what was she thinking?! Adora waved the thought away, and after a few more moments of Catra sucking her neck, she pulled her neck away. She licked her thumb, and gently pressed it to the spot Catra had bitten into, sealing the incision. Catra’s breathing was regular now, but they were still out in the cold. She quickly scooped Catra up in her arms, though she wriggled for a moment. Catra seemed to surrender soon enough, though, and sighed against Adora’s shoulder.  


“You really like meddling, don’t you…” Catra mumbled, before drifting off to a peaceful sleep. Adora sighed deeply. She was going to take her back to her own dorm.  


Oh God, how was she going to explain this to Glimmer?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> in the first draft of this chap, catra was actually gonna eat scorpia out and then like. bite her neck so hard she had to call an ambulance and she pinned it on adora. i didnt know where to go with it from there but i realized that was. a bit too antagonistic for catradora to develop so i scrapped it. however, this exchange is still rly funny to me 
> 
> catra: s-spare coochie ma'am?
> 
> scorpia, immediately undressing: oh god i cant NOT die fucking her


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey. okay its been so long and i genuinely dont have a good excuse buuuut at least i updated? aaa sorry guys. anyways, trying to plan this out, hopefully updates are more consistent in the future <3

Glimmer sighed as she slouched against the door of her dorm room. Today had been a long day. She had been recovering slowly but surely over the almost two months it had been since she was attacked. She still had a ways to go with recovery, but at least now she could live in her dorm instead of being relegated to her hospital bed. She hadn’t realized how lucky she was to be able to walk around without a nurse saying “Please lie down, Miss Brightmoon” or “You should be resting, Miss Brightmoon”. Glimmer thought she’d lose it if one more person called her “Miss Brightmoon”. She’d looked forward to the days Adora and Bow could visit and race her down the halls of the hospital in her wheelchair. Of course, that had gotten the nurses pretty pissed, and her mom had to talk to give her a stern talking to. She smiled softly at the thought.   
  


Her mother had been panicked and never left Glimmer’s side while she was in the hospital. She’d given up so many public appearances, and had fussed over Glimmer more than she usually did. It was a little annoying at times, but after her father had passed away, her mom had always made sure to spend time with Glimmer, even when the two got on each other’s nerves. Things had been harder since her dad had died. That was part of the reason why she wanted to go to his university so bad. She studied as hard as she could to get into Brightmoon Academy, even though she probably could have made it in with her mother’s influence. But she didn’t. She wanted to earn her way into the school. She wanted to prove herself to her mother and… she wanted to be closer to her dad. She remembered little bits and pieces of him. He loved making dinner for Angella and Glimmer, loved reading her stories at bedtime, and always found even the most mundane things enchanting.   
  


But even though she knew and loved him, she always felt as though she were in the shadow of her mother’s grief. Angella had gotten better with her grief over the years, but Glimmer couldn’t find it in her to grieve her dad as much as her mom did. Part of the reason was because she was so young when he died. She learned more about him after his death than when he was alive, and she felt so guilty for feeling less grief than her mother. She wanted to grieve like her, she didn’t like feeling detached when Angella talked about her dad. She wanted to be able to cry with her mother. The bond between the two was strained in her father’s absence. She hated the awkward dinners and days where, instead of fighting with Glimmer, her mom would lock herself in her room for hours and cry. Right before she had been attacked, it had been one of those days.  
  


Glimmer threw herself down on the couch. She stared at the ceiling, and closed her eyes, paying attention to her beating heart. She was so, so grateful she hadn’t died. She couldn’t bear the thought of her mom all alone, crying, crying, crying while she had to keep it together even though she’d lost her daughter and her husband. Her heart ached to think of her mom alone. Glimmer felt tears rise to her eyes, and quickly wiped them away before she could start actually crying. Ah, she needed to stop thinking about things like this. There was no use in dwelling on what could have happened; she was here now, alive and well. Her mother had just dropped her off and was going to have dinner with her aunt and some other politicians, just like she always did. She’d seen Bow working at his dad’s diner earlier in the day, and had even gotten some fries on the house. And Adora was either in her room studying or out hunting for deer like she’d told her. Oh, that’s right! Glimmer had actually started having her period again, so she needed to tell Adora. Her face reddened for a moment. Well, looks like her and Adora would be able to... destress.   
  


She quickly called Adora on her phone, and was surprised to hear it ring in Adora’s room. _ Oh, looks like she’s here _ , Glimmer thought, and her knuckles quickly rapped on her door.   
  


“Hey Adora! I just got back, and my cycle has started again. Thought you could use something to eat.”  
  


She heard the faint, conspicuous sound of bed sheets rustling and two voices. Was someone else in there with her?  
  


“Adora? Is someone else with you?”  
  


“Nope!” Adora said too quickly. “I’m just uh, watching a fursuit tutorial-”  
  


Glimmer heard what she thought sounded like someone saying “nice going dumbass”. Okay. Adora was a horrible liar and there was obviously someone with her in the room. Glimmer felt a bit flustered. Her and Adora had been friends for the longest time and… well the way she fed off of her wasn’t exactly platonic. Glimmer did have a crush on her. Who wouldn’t? Unfortunately, she didn’t think she could call what they were doing dating because it was for Adora’s survival. And Adora was a brick wall when it came to understanding someone’s romantic feelings. But...   
  


_ Damn it, you can’t just go down on a girl every month since you were seniors in high school and then go off with another girl without talking things out!  
  
_

“Adora, I’m coming in.”   
  


She opened the door, expecting to see Adora and some other girl naked on her bed. What she _ did _ see caught her completely off guard. Okay. She _ wished _ it had been Adora with some other girl. If it had been her going down on someone else, she could cope with that. Hell, she would’ve been fine if Adora really _ was _ making a fursuit or something like that. But nope, of course not!   
  


Her attacker was lying on Adora’s bed, barely conscious and Adora was standing over her, neck bared as though she were letting the attacker eat. Her attacker gave a little wave, and Adora looked like a deer in the headlights.   
  


Okay.   
  


Okay.   
  


Okay.  
  
Glimmer took a deep breath, and lost it_. _

|||  
  


Catra had woken up with her head pounding, and when Glimmer had started screaming, her headache worsened. Oh jesus fuck, she was so annoying and shrill! Blondie immediately tried to calm Glimmer down, but it was obvious she wasn’t having any of it.   
  


“You- Why is she here?! Adora, what are you th-”  
  


“Shh, I know, I know! It looks bad but just- let me explain things to you!”  
  


“I don’t _ care _ , Adora, she almost killed me! How could you-”  
  


“Just- Wait! Glimmer, please,” Adora began murmuring into her ear. Catra couldn’t quite make out what the two were saying, but she didn’t really care. She felt too weak to sit up, so if Glimmer wanted her out, she’d have to throw her out. Catra chuckled at the thought. She sure was feisty. Imagining the short girl throwing her out brought a smile to her face. That’d be hilarious! Finally, Glimmer seemed to stop fuming, though her face was scrunched up in distaste.   
  


“Fine. But you better have a good reason for this.”  
  


“Thank you,” Adora seemed relieved, and closed her bedroom door, leaving Catra alone.   
  


The ache in her head reappeared as she stared at the ceiling. Oh, god she was tired. She was just thankful Adora had gotten Glimmer to shut up. She felt hot, though. She had no doubt in her mind she’d caught something when she was out there. She didn’t know how late it was now, but she wanted to sleep. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness for a while now, and Adora had tried to feed her some more to help her fever go down when Glimmer had started screeching and yelling.   
  


Ugh, she could still hear Glimmer’s muffled voice through the paper-thin walls of the dorm room. Catra heard snippets of their conversation, and Glimmer kept raising her voice. God, did she know how to have a conversation without screaming? Her head pounded more, and she felt way too hot, but the ache in her stomach that had been gnawing at her was gone. She had to admit, Adora had tasted pretty good. Actually, she tasted kind of similar to Glimmer. Hm. She could ask about that later. But in the meantime, she couldn’t help but hear Glimmer talking.   
  


“How could you trust her, Adora?!”  
  


She couldn’t hear Adora’s response on account of her not yelling back at Glimmer, but she began to wonder that herself. Why was Adora being so nice to her? She had almost killed her best friend, and before tonight, the last time she had seen Catra she said she’d rip her throat out. Was she seriously that dumb?  
  


No, Catra doubted that. She’d been smart enough to not only catch Catra off guard, but she’d sniffed her out as a vampire in the first place. So what was her deal? Catra shifted to be on her side. She was being nice. Too nice. What was she trying to get out of this? Was she like the man who had turned her? Was she going to try and trap her by binding their blood? Panic flooded through her for a moment. Was that why Adora let her drink her blood? Oh, God! Her mind flashed to the night she had been turned.  
  


_ “Useless,” He hissed after Catra had clawed her way out of his grasp. She panted heavily, the man’s eyes glittering in the dark. “You’re pathetic. This is the thanks I get?” He spat her blood out. “Disgusting. Not even good enough for a meal.”  
  
_

Catra sat up quickly, and instantly regretted it. Her chest burned, but she needed to get out of here!  
  


Before she could plan her great escape, the door of the room opened. Adora had re-entered, with Glimmer standing in the doorway. Glimmer had her arms crossed disapprovingly, but Adora ignored her.   
  


“Hey, lay down.” Adora said softly. Catra shook her head furiously.  
  


“What, so you can trap me here?! I’m not playing your games!” She snarled. Adora looked bewildered, but Catra didn’t buy it. “Don’t give me that look. I don’t know what you want from me, but I’m _ not _ going to play along.”  
  


“What? Catra, calm down.”  
  


“No! I'm not going to be something for you to own or play with!”  
  


Adora’s bemused expression made Catra’s anger boil even more. Before she could resist any more, Glimmer broke into the conversation.  
  


“What is she talking about, Adora?”  
  


“I- I think I know,” Adora stuttered, and gently shushed Catra. “I’m not going to hurt you, okay? I just want to help you, Catra. You’re not a normal vampire.”  
  


This caught Catra off guard. Huh?  
  


“What do you mean by that?” She huffed impatiently, though her temper simmered.  
  


“First, lay down. You’ve definitely caught pneumonia.”  
  


“Why can’t I go to the hospital? It’s not like you two will be much help,” Catra grumbled.   
  


“Do you really think the doctors are going to be chill with treating a patient who doesn’t have a heartbeat?” Glimmer snapped.   
  


Catra wanted to brush off what Glimmer had said, but couldn’t. She was right. The pain in her chest flared, and she groaned as she laid down. Adora sat on the edge of the bed.   
  


“Okay, first things first,” Adora said. “Who turned you? Do you know?”  
  


Catra shrunk a little bit at the question.  
  


“Not really. I never got a good look at his face.” She lied. Well, she was telling a half-truth. She had seen his face, but she didn’t know who he was. He had never given her his name. Adora seemed to discern the lie based on the look she was giving Catra.  
  


“Catra, tell the truth.”  
  


The compulsion to be honest overwhelmed her.   
  


“Fine. I saw his face but never got his name. He was tall, maybe six foot five, and he was white, I think. His voice was deep and he had long, silver hair. Even though I only ever saw him at night, he had these… scary green eyes. It felt like they glowed. He looked old, but not old. I-I guess he was maybe in his mid-forties, but he looked young. I don’t know how to explain it.”  
  


Glimmer and Adora shared an uneasy look. Adora pulled out her phone panickedly, typed something in, and showed her a picture.   
  


“Is this him?” Her voice was urgent.   
  


Catra, to her own surprise, recognized him. That was the man who attacked her!  
  


“Y-yeah. That’s him. That’s the guy. How do you know him? Do all vampires know each oth-”  
  


“God, just our luck!” Glimmer groaned. “Of course _ he _ has to be a vampire. Not just a scummy politician, noo, he has to be a literal blood sucking monster!”  
  


“You guys mind telling me who my attacker is?” Catra barked.   
  


Glimmer’s nostrils flared, but Adora shook her head at her.   
  


“Catra, there’s no need to yell. We’re going to help you,” Adora relayed calmly. “We do know him. That’s Governor Prime. Him and Glimmer’s mom have been at odds with each other for forever, it feels like. But if he’s a politician, why would he attack you?”   
  


Catra could see the cogs in Adora’s brain beginning to turn. Now that she thought about it herself, going over the events of that night, it didn’t make much sense to her either. And when he had talked to her, why did he want to-   
  


“Can you tell us about the night you were attacked?” blurted Glimmer. Catra’s eyes constricted.   
  


“What- Why?! Why do you need to know about it?!” She snarled. Adora held her hand gingerly, rubbing small circles on her cold skin. The warmth cooled Catra’s temper for a moment.   
  


“You’re okay, Catra, you’re safe,” Adora murmured. “Glimmer, it’s not polite to ask that. It was definitely a traumatic experience, and we can’t force her to relive that.”  
  


Glimmer looked conflicted between wanting to be right, and feeling guilty. Finally, she seemed ashamed, eyes darting off to the side.   
  


“Okay, fair enough. Sorry, Catra.”  
  


Catra was put at ease now.   
  


“I don’t really want to talk about it.”  
  


“That’s okay.”   
  


Adora kept tracing circles on her hand. Her hands were so soft and warm… Catra felt her face flush- No. No, it was her fever. Definitely her fever. She was not fucking blushing.   
  


“Okay, Catra, I think… It’s best for you to know what you are.”  
  


Catra perked up. She sat up, even though her chest ached. Finally, some answers.  
  


“Well, there’s no easy way to say this, but you’re a turned vampire. The majority of vampires aren’t. The fact is, most turned vampires die within a year of being turned if they haven’t been blood-bonded.”  
  


Catra’s blood ran cold. What? She- She had been turned in June. Now it was the end of November. Did she have barely half a year of her life left?  
  


“Wh- What?”  
  


“I’m sorry. It’s not easy to rehabilitate a turned’s body. Usually, they don’t survive the first year because their body can’t adjust to the changes without blood-bonding. But Catra, even as a naturalborn, I’m amazed you’ve come this far without any guidance. I feel like there’s hope for you.”  
  


Catra’s stomach was flipping and turning. She didn’t know how to process what she had just heard, but Adora was looking at her so earnestly, so kind and understanding.  
  


“You mean it?” was all she could utter.   
  


“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.” Adora offered a small smile.   
  


Catra sighed, biting back tears. Maybe she could pull through. But right now she had a lot of questions to ask.   
  


“Uhm, so, like, what’s the difference between a turned vampire and a natural one?”  
  


“Naturalborn.” Glimmer corrected her under her breath.   
  


“Well,” Adora interjected before the two could start fighting again. “The main differences are in vulnerability. A turned vampire develops a mild intolerance to a sunlight, garlic, silver and holy water, but can be killed through human means. A silver cross won’t kill you, but a silver bullet definitely would.”  
  


Catra nodded. She was still as mortal, huh? That fucking sucked. She couldn’t even become super strong or invincible.  
  


“So, no cool powers?”  
  


Adora laughed softly. Catra even caught Glimmer’s tiny grin, though she forced it down after a second.  
  


“No, sorry. You don’t get those right away. Maybe in a year we can help you develop your skills.”  
  


Catra exhaled. “Okay. Are there any other weird symptoms, like in ten years I grow a third eye or something?”  
  


“No, nothing like that,” Adora chuckled. “For the most part, being turned means you can die from normal things that would kill a human, but it also means your body is adjusting to all these changes. I’m not going to lie, the journey for a turned vampire without blood-bonding is really difficult. But if you’ve proven anything, you’ve shown me you’re scrappy. You’re resourceful. And you sure as hell don’t go down without a fight.”  
  


For a moment, Catra felt a twinge in her unbeating heart. She locked eyes with Adora for a millisecond. She immediately turned away, and muttered a quick “thank you”. Adora let go of her hand.  
  


“So, I think it’d be best for you to stay with us while you recover.”  
  


Both Glimmer and Catra were taken aback by this offer.   
  


“No. No. No, no, no, a thousand times no!” Glimmer shrieked. Catra held her head in pain. Goddamnit.  
  


“Glimmer, she has nowhere else to go. It’s best if she’s in an environment like this where everyone knows of her condition.  
  


“Are you kidding me Adora?! Are you- Are you this _ dense _ ?!”  
  


Adora stood up, easily eight inches taller than Glimmer. She took a step towards her and held her hands. Catra felt jealousy run through her.   
  


“Glimmer, look at me,” Glimmer did so. “I know. I know this sucks for you, but we have to take Catra’s condition into consideration. If we let her go, who’s to say she won’t hurt more people? We can’t take that chance. Understand, Glimmer?”  
  


Their faces were less than an inch from each other, and Glimmer finally caved.  
  


“Okay. Fine. But she stays in _ this _ room. None of the living room, _ never _ in my room. And you owe me for this, Adora.”  
  


Adora hugged her, nodding as she did so. Catra wanted to gag- Wait, why did she care?  
  


“I know, I owe you big. Later tonight?”  
  


Glimmer smiled a bit.   
  


“Yes, later tonight.”  
  


Catra looked disgustedly between the two. Okay, gross. She coughed loudly, getting their attention.   
  


“Are you two done making goo-goo eyes at each other?”  
  


Glimmer looked flustered and annoyed. Adora rolled her eyes.   
  


“Okay Catra, we’ll go. We’re gonna be back in a bit okay? I’ll have some food for you.”  
  


Catra nodded meekly when Adora spoke to her. When the two left the room, she flopped down on the bed again. She closed here eyes and took a deep, long inhale. _ Adora’s room smells so nice…  
  
_

With that thought, she fell asleep. 

|||

Adora closed Catra’s door gingerly, turning to an unamused Glimmer.   
  


“How long is she going to be living here? And don’t use your hypnosis on me like that! You know I hate it.”  
  


“But- I didn’t use it.” Adore protested. Glimmer’s tanned face grew pink.   
  


“Well, just- ugh, how long is she going to be here?”  
  


Adora looked uneasy. She took Glimmer aside into the living room and sat her down on the couch.  
  


“I don’t think she’s going to last the month.”  
  


Glimmer’s eyebrows raised, her mouth agape.   
  


“What? Then what was all that talk in there?”  
  


“That’s all it was. Talk.”  
  


Glimmer looked perplexed. Thinking about finding Catra in the woods, Adora was reminded of the time she had found a wounded rabbit on the side of the road when she was younger.   
  


_ “M-Mama, can’t we help it? It’s bleeding!”  
  
_

_ “There’s nothing that can be done. It’s going to die.” Her mother replied flatly. Adora began crying, her tiny hands shaking while the rabbit trembled in her hands. Its blood was gushing out, caking her small fingers.   
  
_

_ “Can’t we d- do something? Please mama, please!” She sobbed. Her mother’s gaze softened.   
  
_

_ “We can put it in a box and make it a bed,” She comforted. “The best we can do is make it comfortable before it passes. Sometimes, that’s all you can do.”  
  
_

Her gaze turned to Glimmer, and her eyes were hard, cold.   
  


“Are you sure she won’t make it?” Glimmer was taken aback by Adora’s change in demeanor.   
  


“We should just make her comfortable. It’s all we can really do.”


	4. Chapter 4

Catra awoke to Adora gently nudging her shoulder. She yawned lazily, and sat up slowly. The pain in her chest wasn’t as bad as it was five days ago when she had been brought there, but her head still ached, and it was hard for her to breathe at times. Pneumonia was a pain in the ass. But at least it was warm in Adora’s room. She had such a cozy bed, and her sheets always had a faint scent of her… and Glimmer. Glimmer’s scent wasn’t too bad but it bled through the dorm and punched her when she least expected it. Even her  _ smell  _ had her personality. Heh.   
  


“Time to eat.” Adora said softly, and she sat down next to Catra on the bed, baring her neck for her.   
  


Adora let Catra’s teeth sink into her throat. Catra gulped greedily, eager to eat. Her appetite had been easier to deal with now that Adora was giving her a constant source of food. It still bothered her that Adora tasted so similar to Glimmer. Ugh, she couldn’t really ask about it though. Catra decided to ignore her own curiosity as she fed. She instead focused on getting as much as she could. Adora finally pulled away from her, and Catra felt a pang in her chest. Agh, had to be her pneumonia. The blonde licked her thumb, and pressed it to the spot Catra had fed from. Catra’s face fell when Adora picked up some books for her classes.   
  


“Be back later tonight, okay? Rest up, and drink water. Just because you’re undead doesn’t mean you don’t need water.”  
  


Catra didn’t want her to leave just yet. She- uh… she needed to know how to do the healing thingy! Yeah, yeah.   
  


“Wait- uh, how do you do the thumb thingy?”  
  


Adora looked confused before she realized what Catra was talking about.   
  


“Oh! You mean sealing a wound! Well, it’s hard to explain but if you have a cut, you can just apply your saliva to it and it should close. Sorry, forgot to mention that to you. But actually, now that I think of it… I’m not sure if turned vampires can seal wounds. Can they? Well, maybe… but… hmm.”  
  


Adora mused to herself, caught up in her own thoughts. Catra stared at Adora for what was definitely too long, because Adora noticed her stare. She quickly averted her gaze, and pressed one of her sharp nails to her index finger. She had a cut! Blood rushed to her cut, and she was both fascinated and disgusted to see her blood was black. She blinked once, twice, before it settled in on her. Eugh. She licked her thumb and pressed it to the cut. She pulled it away after a moment, amazed to see her cut and the blood had disappeared.   
  


“Awesome,” she murmured breathlessly. “Well, good to know paper cuts are a problem of the past.”  
  


Adora chuckled at her little comment. Catra’s face felt hotter.  
  


“‘Kay, I gotta go to class. Like I said, I’ll be back later tonight. I’ll feed you again once I get done with my shift.”  
  


“Ah- Okay. See you later.”   
  


Catra watched numbly as Adora left for the rest of her day. She plopped back down on the bed, her chest still aching. Ugh. She was always bored when Adora left. It didn’t help that she'd left her phone back at her dorm. There wasn’t a good way to pass the time, really. Catra stared at the ceiling.   
  


Okay, she needed to do something or she was going to lose her mind.   
  


Catra pulled her blankets off and stood up gingerly. Ugh, this was already a bad idea. Her head throbbed and she groaned in pain. At least she wasn’t bored now. She looked around herself at Adora’s things. A full-body mirror sat by the closet, and clothes were strewn about on the floor. There were messily kept shelves chock-full of books. Her small dresser didn’t look like it could hold very many clothes, and her closet was tiny, too. Catra found herself drawn to Adora’s closet. She’d only ever seen her wear the same old letterman jacket for Brightmoon University. Didn’t she have any other clothes?   
  


She opened her closet, somewhat surprised to see a variety of outfits. She ran her fingers along the fabric of a semi-formal red dress. Hmm. She’d like to see if she could pull it off. With a small smirk, Catra took the dress off its hanger and quickly changed into it. Catra looked at herself in the mirror, and snickered. Oh, it was definitely too big for her. But it was flowy and fun to twirl in. She felt like a kid, twirling around in Adora’s red dress. She couldn’t help but laugh. Catra paused in her silly antics, a prickle of guilt gnawing at her. This was too weird. She needed to take the dress off. Shrugging off the dress quickly, she put on her own dirty shirt and pants. Taking a sniff of her clothes, she recoiled. She needed to ask for a change of clothes. The dress was put on its hanger, and as Catra put it back on the rack, she noticed a medium sized box tucked away behind Adora’s rows of clothes. Intrigued, Catra crouched on her knees and snatched the box from its hiding place. What did she put away?   
  


Catra took the cover off the box, finding an old, thick photo album inside. There was a picture of a small, pale baby on the cover. She grabbed the book, and began thumbing through it. Oh, this was Adora! This was a photo album of  _ her _ ! There had to be dozens of pictures kept of her throughout the years. Catra was amazed, seeing the tiny, white faced baby grow blond hair, become taller, go through her first steps, puberty, everything. She snorted at the sight of A tween Adora with huge silver braces. Oh, God, she was so dweeby! Catra’s smile faded as she noticed something odd.   
  


In the first few years, Adora was with a woman in almost every picture. The woman had a fixed, piercing stare that wasn’t necessarily cold, but it wasn’t welcoming, either. She stood very tall next to a younger Adora. Her eyes were a stark light grey, her skin dark brown, and her short hair periwinkle. She had a serious look on her face in many of the pictures, but a soft smile in others. After a certain point, the pictures omitted her. Catra’s heart sank, though she didn’t know why. Ignoring the sinking feeling, Catra flipped the page. Ah, Adora dressed as a unicorn for Halloween one year. She snorted. Flipping through more pictures, Catra found pictures of Adora, Glimmer, and a kid she’d seen around town once or twice. He had the same costume for Halloween every year, it seemed. He always dressed up as Robin Hood. The three of them were close. Her fingers gripped the page hard. Their smiles and happy faces made her sick.  
  


Catra slammed the book closed. She’d had enough of their saccharine smiles and soft-minded friendship. Shoving the book back in the box and putting the lid back on, Catra nudged it back into its place in Adora’s closet. Her head hurt even more now. She needed to take a nap. Catra settled back into Adora’s bed, closing her eyes and trying to ignore her thoughts. She couldn’t help but think- why did Adora care what happened to her? Her perfect little world had been fine without bringing her into it. Agh, but Adora wouldn’t have gotten involved if her perfect little world hadn’t been threatened. Tears pricked at her eyes. Adora was only doing this to keep her in check. She didn’t care about her. That was a delusion she had to stop indulging herself in.   
  


Catra sunk deeper into the sheets. No one cared about what happened to her, anyways. She couldn’t assume Adora was being nice for any reason other than pity. As soon as she got better, Adora would throw her out, and then what’d she do? Would she go back to Scorpia, finish her term, act like nothing’s wrong? The thought of leaving scared her. She had no idea what she’d do when this was all over. She’d be all alone again, wouldn’t she? Oh, God.   
  


Catra buried her face in her pillow, sobbing.   
  


|||  
  


Adora cracked her knuckles absentmindedly as she walked into Bow’s diner. Okay, it wasn’t actually Bow’s diner, but he worked there a lot while he saved up to find his own apartment to live in. He wanted a place big enough for the three of them to live in once they graduated. Adora had always admired his work ethic and how he balanced his high level classes all while working the entire week. Sometimes she struggled to get by in her basic english course. She wasn’t as academically gifted like Glimmer and Bow, but she did put in any hours she could into understanding the material.   
  


Regardless of that, she was here to get more food for Catra and herself. She approached the counter, giving a grin when Bow came from out of the kitchen.   
  


“Hey, Adora! How you been doing?” He chirped.   
  


“Ah, y’know, same-old, same-old. Trying to survive, failing miserably, the usual.”   
  


Bow snorted, and grabbed a small pen and paper pad.   
  


“So, what’ll we be having today? Today’s special is meatloaf with  _ gra~vy _ ,” He sang. His face fell almost immediately. “Oh God, I think Seahawk’s rubbing off on me.”  
  


“Oh my God, does anyone  _ besides  _ him actually use that nickname?” Adora laughed. Bow looked pale.   
  


“It’s not my fault! He’s always singing back there, and it doesn’t help that D.T. encourages him,” Bow groaned, chin resting on the counter. “Adora, can’t you quit and work here? It’d be way more bearable.”  
  


He gave her a pout, and pleading eyes. Adora made a face, crossing her arms.   
  


“Bow, you know that doesn’t work on me anymore. And I’m a way worse cook than you.”  
  


He sighed dramatically.  
  


“Oh, looks as though I’ll have to suffer through yet another shift! You wound me, Adora!”   
  


“Woah. They’ve  _ both  _ really been rubbing off on you.”  
  


The two shared a look, and laughed together. Bow readied the pen and paper again.   
  


“So, what’s the order today?”  
  


“Four extra rare burgers, no bun.”  
  


Bow scribbled it down on his paper, his brow creasing as he did so. He set the pen down and looked up at Adora.   
  


“You know, Adora, you’ve been ordering the same thing all week. Is everything okay? I know you and Glimmer can’t cook well, but you should get more variety in your diet, y’know?”  
  


Adora began to break out in a sweat. Shit. Okay, okay, redirect his worries quickly.  
  


“Ahhh, y’know, just been stressed because of my english course! It’s been taking its toll on me and y’know, your cooking helps me destress!”  
  


Bow raised an eyebrow.  
  


“Adora. How are barely cooked burgers helping you with anything? I’m worried. Is this a diet or something?” He spoke softly, concern in his eyes.   
  


“No, nothing like that. I’m fine, Bow, really.”  
  


Bow didn’t look convinced.   
  


“Adora…” He trailed off. “I… You know I’m here for you, right? I care about you. I’m your friend. If anything is happening, you can tell me about it.”  
  


Adora swallowed the guilt building up. She had to lie.  
  


“I know, Bow. I promise, I’m doing fine and if anything was going on, I’d tell you about it in a heartbeat.”  
  


Bow locked eyes with Adora. He sighed, and nodded.   
  


“Okay. Just know I’m here for you whenever you need me, Adora.” He turned and brought her order into the kitchen.   
  


Adora let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. He didn’t seem convinced at all, and that worried her. She was going to have to find more deer, or another source of meat if she wanted to avoid suspicion. She could go into supermarkets, but the blood in meat at stores was always subpar. She had to do something because she had to eat enough for her and Catra. She wasn’t exactly up for hunting yet. Shit, she needed to figure something out.   
  


Adora took a seat at one of the booths, staring out the window. This system definitely wouldn’t work out for the long-term, but what else could she do? Maybe it didn’t matter. Catra wasn’t going to be around long enough to go hunting with her, anyways. She hated to be pessimistic, but she had to prepare herself for the worst. She couldn’t let herself get too close, like with mom. She couldn’t get attached. She’d only get hurt. She had to distance herself from Catra and make sure she didn’t get invested. She’d been doing an okay job of that so far, with their only interactions being when she fed Catra. But sometimes, when she walked in and Catra was asleep, she’d just watch her chest rise and fall with shallow breath. It… hurt.  
  


Adora was taken out of her thoughts when D.T. delivered her order in a container.  
  


“The meal for her highness Adora,” They drawled with a wink. Adora didn’t have it in her to respond like she usually would, and they noticed. “What’s wrong, doll? Cat got your tongue?”  
  


“Erm- No. Just one of those days, y’know.”  
  


They saw right through her act, and patted her on the back.   
  


“It’s okay if something’s got you down. Don’t try to act happy, okay? You’re awful at it.”  
  


Adora couldn’t bring herself to react to their attempt to make her laugh and simply stood up, muttered a quick “thank you” while placing money on the table, and left.   
  


D.T. glanced back at Bow at the counter, giving him a confused look. Bow shrugged his shoulders defeatedly.   
  


Bow was becoming more concerned for Adora’s well-being and the fact that she didn’t seem like herself. She was more quiet these days, and spent a good amount of time outside of college and work in her own dorm. She was usually very social and fun to be around. It worried him. She was so quiet, and always seemed distracted by something else. He needed to ask Glimmer if she knew what was going on. She was a bit closer to Adora than he was, though their group was tight-knit all around. Bow had to work through his shift first, then he’d talk to Glimmer.   
  


Once his shift had finished, Bow messaged Glimmer.  
  


**Bow** _ :  _ hey, is everything okay with Adora?  
  


**Glim** : ?  what do u mean  
  


**Bow** : idk, she seems distant lately.   
  


**Glim** : her english course has been hard for her these past few weeks  
  


**Bow** : are you sure that’s it, Glim? I’m worried about her.   
  


**Glim** : shes fine lol, just stressed bc of english dont worry  
  


Bow shoved his phone in his pocket frustratedly. Something was going on, he could feel it. But why were they keeping it from him? What was wrong? He sighed as he locked up for the night. He needed to find out what was going on, and fast.   
  


|||  
  


Adora got back to her dorm and sank into the couch, eager to relax. She’d been tired from school, work, and Bow trying to confront her. She eagerly dug into her meal, opening the container and eating like an animal. She was starving. Though she felt full after her third burger, she needed the last one for Catra. Glimmer’s cycle was already ending, which meant less blood to get her through the day. Ah, she already missed it. Glimmer was a great friend for letting her feed off of her like that.   
  


She really enjoyed being friends with Glimmer. She was the only person who she shared everything with. And ever since the night Glimmer had found out she was a vampire, the two were thick as thieves. Adora smiled at the thought. She’d never been as close with anyone like she had with Glimmer. She was still anxious about sharing the fact she was a vampire with Bow. She didn’t want him to hate her or think she’d attacked Glimmer. She rubbed her eyes, groaning. She had to find another source of blood soon.   
  


Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a cry from her room. Alarmed, Adora rushed into her room, only to find Catra crying hysterically. She was thrashing around in her blankets, howling like a wild animal. What on earth-  
  


She didn’t want to just stand there and let her scream, so Adora quickly came to Catra on the bed, trying to still her shoulders.   
  


“Catra-” She tried to bargain with her, only for Catra to lash out, leaving harsh scratches across Adora’s cheek. Adora recoiled instantly, clutching her cut. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and brushed it against the cuts, wincing until they sealed.   
  


“Stop it! Get away from me!” Catra shrieked. Adora realized Catra’s eyes were squeezed shut. A nightmare? Adora seized one of Catra’s wrists, and when she tried to scratch Adora again, Adora caught her other one.   
  


“Catra, wake up. I’m not going to hurt you,” She tried to be as calm as possible when Catra was still flailing and kicking. “Catra, please! It’s me, Adora! Open your eyes!”  
  


Catra paused her struggle, her eyes opening groggily. When she recognized Adora’s face, she broke down in her arms, sobbing.   
  


“I- I thought you were- And he was going to-”  
  


“It’s- It’s okay, Catra. I’m here, I’m here.”  
  


Adora held Catra in her arms. Catra buried her face in Adora’s chest tears staining her shirt. Catra clutched Adora like a lifeline, and cried her heart out. She cried even harder when Adora began to pet her hair.   
  


“Y-You’re gonna be okay,” Adora reassured. “Everything’s going to be okay.”  
  


Catra seemed placated by her words and soothing voice. She was becoming tired again, yawning and rubbing her puffy eyes.   
  


“Thank you, Adora,” She murmured like a child. Adora felt a tug on her heart. “Thank you for everything.”  
  


Adora felt her breath hitch.  
  


“Of course, I’m here for you.”  
  


Catra moved From Adora’s chest to sit up, her eyes large and pleading.   
  


“Can you… Can you sleep in here tonight?”  
  


Adora nodded gently.   
  


“Yes, I can.”  
  


Catra scooted over on the bed to make room for Adora. Adora, hesitant, laid down next to her. Catra faced the wall, and Adora’s arm naturally slid over her shoulder, cupping her close to her own chest. Adora listened closely to Catra’s quiet, soft breaths, and feared every pause between them. She had a thousand thoughts racing in her mind, but one kept repeating.   
  


_ I got fucking attached.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmm? whats that? an update that isnt months after the most recent one? i must be doing pretty good then!
> 
> btw, feel free to follow me on twitter/insta @cherrynothings i post she-ra doodles and stuff


End file.
